The Union Ministry of Education has written to state governments to procure pulses (chana dal) for the Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition (POSHAN) from NAFED, the apex organisation of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce. West Bengal and at least three NDA-ruled states including UP have rejected the proposal, and Punjab has sought clarification on the proposal. In a March 28 letter to states, the Union Ministry of Education said they “may procure pulses from buffer stocks being maintained by GOI (Government of India) through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation) to benefit from economy of scale” and assured subsidised rates in the interest of students. The letter by Joint Secretary Prachi Pandey to states and UTs also requested them to provide their requirement of chana dal by April 3. When contacted by The Indian Express, Pandey declined to comment. Detailed guidelines issued to states and UTs on December 21, 2022, were silent on the purchase of pulses from NAFED. It just said, “Material cost covers expenditure on pulses, vegetables, cooking oils, condiments, fuel etc. The cooking cost is Rs 5.45 per child per day for children in Bal Vatika and primary classes, and Rs 8.17 per child per day for children in Upper primary classes.” On procurement of oil, pulses and condiments, the guidelines said,“Only packed dals, salt, spices, condiments and oil with AGMARK quality symbol should be purchased. Any ingredient being sold loose should never be bought. The packaging and expiry date of the ingredients should be checked.” The December 21, 2022 guidelines were a follow up to another letter dated February 28, 2019, which said, “The states and UTs may procure pulses as per their local taste for the Mid-Day Meal from the central buffer stock created by the Government of India.” Reacting to the recent letter from the Union Ministry of Education, Bratya Basu, Education Minister, West Bengal, said, “During Covid-19 pandemic, the chana supplied by NAFED was of extremely inferior quality, mixed with dust and gravel. The guardians refused to take it. Besides, in our state chana dal is not a common food habit. Here masur dal is used in Mid-day Meal. So, it was decided to inform that requirement of chana dal will be treated as nil." Sources said at least two NDA-ruled states from the north east have rejected the idea; one has expressed its inability to “entertain” the proposal as the cost of pulses is already included in the cost of the material and cooking, and the other one has orally informed its inability. informed orally. A senior official in the Department of Education in Uttar Pradesh said, “The Centre has given an option to purchase it from NAFED though a centralised system. We are not facing any challenge in our villages to procure. We are monitoring at a granular level, there is plenty of supply, and there is no need for UP to opt for it.” Varinder Singh Brar, General Manager, POSHAN, in Punjab said, “Currently, PUNSUP supplies wheat and rice to our schools and we pay them the transportation cost. It has not been clarified how would NAFED make pulses reach schools? We have sought a clarification.” In fact, two years ago, in a circular issued to states and UTs on January 21, 2021, the Centre had praised Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Goa, Chhattisgarh for utilising services of states' own organisations and Central organisations like NAFED for providing pulses. They were asked to provide information about foodgrains provided to parents as Food Security Allowance (FSA) when schools were closed and the expenses. However, two days later, they were told that the said letter (dated January 12, 2021) “may be treated as withdrawn”. The POSHAN – earlier called the Mid-Day Meal – scheme was cleared by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) in September 2021. It provided one hot cooked meal in government and government-aided schools from 2021-22 to 2025-26. A Centrally-Sponsored Scheme, it covers about 11.80 crore children in Classes I-VIII. For five-years beginning 2021-22, the financial outlay by the Centre is estimated to be Rs 54,061.73 crore and from states at Rs 31,733.17 crore. The Centre will also bear an additional cost of about Rs 45,000 crore on food grains. (WITH INPUTS FROM DIVYA GOYAL GOPAL IN CHANDIGARH, SANTANU CHOWDHURY IN KOLKATA and MAULSHREE SETH IN LUCKNOW)
